British Army medics in Romania on exercise

Exercise Vigorous Warrior sees 23 Medical Squadron, 16 Medical Regiment working with allies to improve the ability of NATO forces to work together in response to international crises.

The British Army say that over the week-long field exercise, the Colchester-based medics integrated their air-portable Role 2 medical treatment facility, which includes a resuscitation suite, operating theatre, intensive care beds and a holding ward, into a multinational field hospital.

“The exercise tested each nations’ ability to provide medical treatment, from care at the point of wounding all the way to strategic evacuation by air or sea to military hospitals.”

“We’re working as a multinational medical brigade, providing the brigade’s patient transport capability in our battlefield ambulances. We’ve worked alongside a lot of different nationalities, both military and civilian medics, as we’ve moved casualties.

It can be challenging, particularly getting around the language barrier and ensuring everyone understands decision-making and intent, but we make it work and that’s very rewarding. We’re building understanding and learning from each other all the time, and it’s better that we get it all ironed out now in training so that we’re prepared to deploy together on a NATO operation.”